Replay Lounge 2026 Worlds

[Arigato]

Yup... I mentioned Shawn Restatt earlier... skaters have no idea what's happening to them anymore.

I mean.. how did LaLa get level 2 twizzles when they have some of the best twizzles in the world and there was no apparent mistake.
Mark or was it Tonia ? was praising them for their speed and proximity... Level 4 appeared... and was reviewed to level 2... why? how?

It was Tonia praising them. As I replayed the whole thing, I said this has to be a rule thing being enforced that she is not aware of. Look, it's my understanding enforcement doesn't have to be unanimous. They require a majority vote. For all I know, they got one today and got dinged. At other times, they did not get a majority vote and did not get dinged.

 

[readernick]

that was my first thought..

at the same time, considering the Tech boss was Julia Rey who really likes her home teams, and considering all the talk everyone has been making about the French judge, the British judge (at the Olympics). or Shawn Restatt, I cannot blame them for raising their voices.

In the end, it just shows how badly ice dance is judged. Some fans complain about singles at time because some calls are or aren't made but if anyone dares to look at the protocols in the Free Dance, it's a hot mess.... so hot that the Arctic is melting. Seriously... I have never ever seen a world championship free dance with such a diversity of scores. I mean, it's so random it means pretty much nothing at this point.

I understand Zach Lagha to be utterly confused with the scoring and wondering what they need to do to get their share.... If I recall correctly, the Australian judge gave them 3rd place with 123 or something while the Cyprus judge (formerly French) gave them the 14th place with only 108... That's crazy. This kind of landslide scoring was noticed by many fans and coaches and skaters must be very upset with it.

Just be be clear it's the technical specialist ( who is this case was a Canadian) who makes the actual calls. The technical controller only intervenes in disputes. So, while I think this panel was strict towards everyone ( except the Olympics champions) unless you think the Marie BOWNESS from Canada was a specific desire for the American team to win over the British one there isn't much of a nationality bias argument to make here. Marie would have been the one to input the deduction.

F/G's lift choice this year was very much on the edge of illegal all year. This team had to be aware of the risk involved in this lift. Not getting an illegal element call was very much dependent on timing and on keeping his arms bent. Based on a screenshot from Jackie Wong his elbows did look fully extended during one part of the lift. So, I think the call was correct. Is the rule correct? Frankly, I think the rule ( like many ice dance rules) is overly complex. Just completely ban overhead lifts as was the rule prior to 2021 ( I believe).

To be honest, I think the fuss over Shawn's calling was also unwarranted. Was it harsh? Yes, but that was because he was actually following the rules. Are ice dance rules overly complex and if followed to the letter make it impossible for basically anyone to get good levels? Also, yes. But, I think that shows the rules need to be adjusted not that technical panels are purposefully biased. A technical panel should follow the rules as written. The issue is the rules themselves.

Olympic judging was different as the issue there was GOE judging not levels.

 

[4everchan]

Just be be clear it's the technical specialist ( who is this case was a Canadian) who makes the actual calls. The technical controller only intervenes in disputes.

many calls were changed so I am assuming that the technical controller did intervene. I am pretty aware of how these things work. But thanks anyway

So, while I think this panel was strict towards everyone ( except the Olympics champions) unless you think the Marie BOWNESS from Canada was a specific desire for the American team to win over the British one there isn't much of a nationality bias argument to make here. Marie would have been the one to input the deduction.

Marie BOWNESS is usually a very neutral judge. At least, from what I have noticed. I am not everywhere, always.

F/G's lift choice this year was very much on the edge of illegal all year.

I agree.

This team had to be aware of the risk involved in this lift. Not getting an illegal element call was very much dependent on timing and on keeping his arms bent. Based on a screenshot from Jackie Wong his elbows did look fully extended during one part of the lift. So, I think the call was correct. Is the rule correct? Frankly, I think the rule ( like many ice dance rules) is overly complex. Just completely ban overhead lifts as was the rule prior to 2021 ( I believe).

To be honest, I think the fuss over Shawn's calling was also unwarranted.

I disagree. Nice of you that you are on first name basis with him

Was it harsh? Yes, but that was because he was actually following the rules. Are ice dance rules overly complex and if followed to the letter make it impossible for basically anyone to get good levels? Also, yes. But, I think that shows the rules need to be adjusted not that technical panels are purposefully biased. A technical panel should follow the rules as written. The issue is the rules themselves.

Well... if the rules are followed a certain way for decades, one guy cannot just single handedly decide that it's time to follow them stricter.

Olympic judging was different as the issue there was GOE judging not levels.

I am very aware of that . The tech panel at GPF and the Olympics (which were the same) did a fine job.

Funny how when there is an American tech controller, there are discrepancies. Just saying. Of course, just my biased We the North opinion.

 

[readernick]

many calls were changed so I am assuming that the technical controller did intervene. I am pretty aware of how these things work. But thanks anyway

Marie BOWNESS is usually a very neutral judge. At least, from what I have noticed. I am not everywhere, always.

I agree.

I disagree. Nice of you that you are on first name basis with him

Well... if the rules are followed a certain way for decades, one guy cannot just single handedly decide that it's time to follow them stricter.

I am very aware of that . The tech panel at GPF and the Olympics (which were the same) did a fine job.

Funny how when there is an American tech controller, there are discrepancies. Just saying. Of course, just my biased We the North opinion.

Again technical controllers don't make calls. They only intervene if the two technical specialist don't agree on the call. So, Marie would be the one who would input the deduction or Annemie De Preter. I have no issue with either of their calls, in general, the calls here were fair. Z/K did not get good levels from them either. Thus, it is unfounded to claim this call was bias from a person who isn't even responsible for putting in levels or deductions.

Well... if the rules are followed a certain way for decades, one guy cannot just single handedly decide that it's time to follow them stricter.

Rules on turns changed this year not ten years ago. That's why all the levels were so bad at the beginning of the year. ( I just called him Shawn because I'm lazy by the way... Don't know him, but unlike judges technical specialists actually are all experts at their jobs, used to skate at a high level, and I think they all generally try their best to give fair calls with the limited technology they have) The rule change was a bad idea. Not allowing retrogrations made clean turns virtually impossible. That rule should be repealed.. A lot of ice dance rules are ridiculous and they should be changed. But, I'm a big fan of judging that follows the written rules. That's the only way to be fair. Write a rule and then follow it..If the rule is bad, it's still a technical panel's job to follow it. If judging is not done this way, there's too much room for bias.

 

[Anna K.]

The rule change was a bad idea. Not allowing retrogrations made clean turns virtually impossible. That rule should be repealed.

Why was it introduced to start with?
I mean, do you know what was the discussion behind this decision?

I don't follow the ID but "not allowing retrogrations" sounds wild.

 

[4everchan]

Again technical controllers don't make calls. They only intervene if the two technical specialist don't agree on the call.

so Rey makes the final calls, if the other two do not agree..again.. I know how it works lol and that's what I am saying.. many calls were changed upon review so I am assuming that the tech specialist and tech assistant were not in agreement so Julia Rey intervened.

So, Marie would be the one who would input the deduction or Annemie De Preter. I have no issue with either of their calls, in general, the calls here were fair. Z/K did not get good levels from them either. Thus, it is unfounded to claim this call was bias from a person who isn't even responsible for putting in levels or deductions.

read my post again

Rules on turns changed this year not ten years ago. That's why all the levels were so bad at the beginning of the year.

depends... in GP France and GP China... levels were pretty good

( I just called him Shawn because I'm lazy by the way... Don't know him, but unlike judges technical specialists actually are all experts at their jobs, used to skate at a high level, and I think they all generally try their best to give fair calls with the limited technology they have)

I usually do not argue tech calls... but this year... in ice dance... wow...
also, let's not forget that in JGP, they managed to give credit for a triple twist when the Chinese team had done a quad twist... so it just shows mistakes, even from specialists, are possible.

The rule change was a bad idea.

Usually, major rule changes happen at the beginning of a quad cycle... not during Olympic year... so that's already a huge mistake to change it at the time they did.

Not allowing retrogrations made clean turns virtually impossible. That rule should be repealed.. A lot of ice dance rules are ridiculous and they should be changed. But, I'm a big fan of judging that follows the written rules. That's the only way to be fair. Write a rule and then follow it..If the rule is bad, it's still a technical panel's job to follow it. If judging is not done this way, there's too much room for bias.

I'd be fine if rules appeared to be followed at all times... but they don't. Which is unfair and unethical. Some teams were dinged all year while others were at competitions where rules were loosely followed. So no, I have followed ice dance all year and the panels had way too much influence on how the results came down this year rather than the athletes... exception was GPF/Olympic panel which I thought behaved... thank goodness because some judges misbehaved in those events

 

[elektra blue]

i missed dance free last night, i feel like i'm not finished yet with this season so here some random thoughts about this event (you thought you got rid of me eh? wrong!)

Kaori's farewell skate and men free were the absolut highlight of the entire event, no cactus needles for once but great performances one after another. shout out to Yuma and Gogo for the best performances of the night, it felt like Olympics after Olympics. and now some random thoughts about dance since i missed it live yesterday (i know i know, there're not good things in this world, what can you do?)

Marie Jade and Romain are a gift, i hope they stay long and creative. I'm happier in a world with Olivia and Tim with an E in it. Piper and Paul were absolutely magnificent, for 4 minutes i was transported out od this world. in general dancers made the mistakes men didn't...or not ? the season is over but the fun is not...you'll hear from me and my team very soon. It's not a threat, it's a promise

 

[lariko]

Apart from being totally happy with all gold medal winners, because everything went so well, for me the strongest impressions were Gogolev, Hocke/Kunkel and Mrazkova/Mrazek. I think they were great and I hope for more next season.

 

[Anna K.]

Those of you who consider going to the Worlds next year, check out this post in the Nordic skating thread. It's from @TT_Fin who just visited Tampere and can give a fresh hotel advice.
It looks like you better do your hotel bookings well in advance.

 

[viennaskater]

Nina Pinzzarone's LP was so beautiful, it took me into a calm place, which was more than welcome during a championship which required the use of earplugs.

 

[Karoltyna]

F/G's lift choice this year was very much on the edge of illegal all year. This team had to be aware of the risk involved in this lift. Not getting an illegal element call was very much dependent on timing and on keeping his arms bent. Based on a screenshot from Jackie Wong his elbows did look fully extended during one part of the lift. So, I think the call was correct. Is the rule correct? Frankly, I think the rule ( like many ice dance rules) is overly complex. Just completely ban overhead lifts as was the rule prior to 2021 ( I believe).

TBH I was shocked when I saw it for the first time and my brain screamed deduction. There is a fan video comparing this particular lift during the season, I don't see much difference and this that I see may be my mind playing tricks on my because I know what I'm looking for. TBH #2 this is so frustrating to like a team and hope they make an obvious mistake so that they are judged more fairly.

 

[ladyjane]

I recall Hubbel & Donahue doing a (different) overhead lift some years ago (4 exactly) and they made it through the season. I thought it was risky then, I think it is risky now. Too much like a pairs lift (although the pairs can do dance lifts if they wish).

However, it is very disappointing to use it a whole season, and only get the call at World's. I mean Zingas & Kolesnik got a call on the illegal jumping pass at the GPF, so they didn't use that since then. If Fear & Gibson had got a call earlier on, they could have changed it too. To be honest, I have always thought Fear & Gibson highly entertaining (and the crowd, any crowd, agrees), but not the best skaters.

But, after their big disappointment at the Games (where they had a mistake of which they realised themselves it was a big one, I remember her very sad expression), it would have been nice for them to get a medal here. All skaters were scrutinized closely though at this event, I even saw the tell-tale yellow marks under the GOE indications with the winners who in my view had the best skate of their season.

 

[slider11]

I recall Hubbel & Donahue doing a (different) overhead lift some years ago (4 exactly) and they made it through the season. I thought it was risky then, I think it is risky now. Too much like a pairs lift (although the pairs can do dance lifts if they wish).

However, it is very disappointing to use it a whole season, and only get the call at World's. I mean Zingas & Kolesnik got a call on the illegal jumping pass at the GPF, so they didn't use that since then. If Fear & Gibson had got a call earlier on, they could have changed it too. To be honest, I have always thought Fear & Gibson highly entertaining (and the crowd, any crowd, agrees), but not the best skaters.

But, after their big disappointment at the Games (where they had a mistake of which they realised themselves as it being a big one, I remember her very sad expression), it would have been nice for them to get a medal here. All skaters were scrutinized closely though at this event, I even saw the tell-tale yellow marks under the GOE indications with the winners who in my view had the best skate of their season.

Somewhere I heard that Fear and Gibson made a slight change on the dismount of that lift between the Olympics and Worlds. If Lewis ended up giving Lilah a boost, and therefore locking his arms, that could account for the penalty. The team and coaches certainly deserve an explanation and I hope they get it.

 

[slider11]

I think this upcoming season will be significant with coaching changes. I know skaters are too exhausted to immediately do anything but sleep and maybe vacation. Others will be doing shows to make some much needed money and hopefully continue spurring interest in figure skating. But thoughts must be creeping in their heads during those long plane rides home. For pairs and dance, is my partner the right one for me? What coaching team can take me/us to the next step? I won't be surprised to see Chock/Bates, the Lithuanians, Charlene/Marco, and Piper/Paul retire in ice dance. That leaves some big holes in the Montreal, Carol Lane and Barbara F-P camps. Barbara has already tried to boost her appeal by bringing in Charlie White. I think the Carol Lane camp brings some unique qualities and could be tempting for a team who wants some individual attention and wants to stay in North America. Poor MIDA - Greg Zurlein and Tanith will have to scurry fast to secure the teams they have and show that they are still a premier school.

April and May are usually "dead" months for competitive skating but I will be watching!

 

[Diana Delafield]

I recall Hubbel & Donahue doing a (different) overhead lift some years ago (4 exactly) and they made it through the season. I thought it was risky then, I think it is risky now. Too much like a pairs lift (although the pairs can do dance lifts if they wish).

However, it is very disappointing to use it a whole season, and only get the call at World's. I mean Zingas & Kolesnik got a call on the illegal jumping pass at the GPF, so they didn't use that since then. If Fear & Gibson had got a call earlier on, they could have changed it too. To be honest, I have always thought Fear & Gibson highly entertaining (and the crowd, any crowd, agrees), but not the best skaters.

But, after their big disappointment at the Games (where they had a mistake of which they realised themselves as it being a big one, I remember her very sad expression), it would have been nice for them to get a medal here. All skaters were scrutinized closely though at this event, I even saw the tell-tale yellow marks under the GOE indications with the winners who in my view had the best skate of their season.

It's never occurred to me to wonder -- if judges and other officials attend practice sessions at competitions and watch program run-throughs (and they certainly used to), do they not drop a hint at that time to a coach that their skaters are including something blatantly illegal? While there's still time to check the rulebooks and make a last-minute change? Or are they not allowed to say anything at that point? I can remember being observed at practice sessions at home during the season by official-types wandering through our rink and stopping to watch, and then making suggestions to our coach.

I would think there wouldn't be a cut-off time for that. One provincial track meet I attended as a kid to watch my brother's high jump event, we saw a runner pulled from the starting blocks and disqualified for changing to some illegal kind of shoes only noticed as they lined up.

 

[lariko]

I actually wondered if F/G lift was legal while watching, because Tran'kov was repeating multiple times during the season that bent elbows/below man's head for dance and straight arms/overhead for pairs to explain down marking on lifts for pairs. It did look unusually high for dance to me as a casual viewer after he drew attention to it in that manner (again, just to avoid any confusion, he wasn't discussing international dance, but internal competitions in relations to other skaters). Plus, after H/K's headbanger counted, my mind was already on allowed/forbidden elements.

 

[Arriba627]

The crowns at this competition were really beautiful!

 

[Cutting the ice]

It's never occurred to me to wonder -- if judges and other officials attend practice sessions at competitions and watch program run-throughs (and they certainly used to), do they not drop a hint at that time to a coach that their skaters are including something blatantly illegal? While there's still time to check the rulebooks and make a last-minute change? Or are they not allowed to say anything at that point? I can remember being observed at practice sessions at home during the season by official-types wandering through our rink and stopping to watch, and then making suggestions to our coach.

I would think there wouldn't be a cut-off time for that. One provincial track meet I attended as a kid to watch my brother's high jump event, we saw a runner pulled from the starting blocks and disqualified for changing to some illegal kind of shoes only noticed as they lined up.

Diana. I wondered the same thing. A poster mentioned last autumn that they saw the tech controller talk to the coach of one of the top dance teams at a GP event, apparently offering advice after watching them practise. But the risk then is if another team didn’t receive the same “helpful” comment and received a deduction, is that fair? Honestly, I don’t think it is the tech team’s job or place to offer unofficial guidance. But it does point out that rules must be applied fairly and evenly to all competitors all season. And it is the job of the coaching team and the competitors to know and follow those rules.

 

[4everchan]

I am pretty sure IAM knew the lift was borderline illegal. They just played with fire.

 

[Greengemmonster]

Mone is such a delight! I haven’t felt this way about a skater in a long time! So funny cuz I’m all for jumps normally. Jump jump jump, but with Mone I get the feels!!! Girl can just skate around and I swoon.

My favourite Romeo and Juliet program ever, I get that heart soaring feeling everytime I rewatch her Worlds performance. This is why I stick to skating even with all the frustration. To have these moments where you find someone whose skating you love.